Band Saw Fence

April, 2010—There is a good how-to article on this in Fine Woodworking, Issue 210 (Feb, 2010), page 54, by Patrick Sullivan. My neighbor, Sawdust Tom, made one. When I saw his and saw how well it worked I decided to make one too. Only I made a few changes. Here is a list:

Change #1: Instead of plywood only, I made the vertical fence out of a layer of 3/4 MDF glued to 3/4 plywood. Plenty strong and straight, and the wood being cut glides easier on the MDF, in my opinion.

Change #2: I put the pivot point and the pivot control knob both on the left side of the fence. This just seemed simpler to me. I even considered eliminating the pivot function altogether, since blade drift has not been an issue since I switched to the Carter Guide system. But if I ever go back to a wider blade and cool blocks, I will need the pivot.

Change #3: For the lock I used a hold-down clamp. The rubber foot on the clamp engages on the angle iron and is quick to release. However, after I was all done I realized a serious flaw in my implementation. The hold down clamp is not on top of the pivot point. This means that it won’t work if I pivot the fence for blade drift. The solution is to put the hold-down clamp directly centered over the pivot bolt. This would be a fairly easy modification.

Change #4: The home center sells the angle iron in 3-foot lengths, but only 24-inches is required for this project. So I used the left-over piece to help brace and support the fence. See photos.

Overall this was a fun project, and I love how easy the fence glides, and how rigid it is when locked. This fence will allow me to do a lot more with my band saw.